HALF OF A YELLOW SUN

In this stunning novel of Biafra's doomed war for independence from Nigeria, Robin Miles brings a complex world and explosive era to vivid life. Her protagonists are Olanna and Kainene, British-schooled sisters from a wealthy Igbo family; Kainene's English lover and Olanna's academic revolutionary one; and Ugwu, a young houseboy from a tribal village. Miles switches effortlessly from Oxbridge accents to the fierce clicking speech of Igbo, Fulani, and Hausa militants and to the familiar drawl of an American expatriate from the Deep South in this compelling story of idealism and slaughter. Miles's performance is extraordinary. She never gets lost in a sentence, she never botches an accent or fails to make a character live, and her pacing is perfect. You won't soon forget it. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2009]